Verified Services

May 16

Good morning, Father.
Thank you for carrying my heart through this difficult time. Thank you for providing so many little joys and comforts along the way. Please help my heart to be strong, as the enemy tries to undermine my strength from within, once again pummeling me with SHAME and making me realize just how far away I am from being able to completely IGNORE shame, like you did, Jesus. I can feel your Spirit encouraging me to lay down shame like an old garment, just remove it from my shoulders and leave it laying on the ground. But my Lord my heart is so tangled up in that mess that I cannot even see where shame ends and begins — it just looks like a giant wounded heart to me. Please sort me out, faithful Shepherd. Help me cling to your Word and to nature and to whatever else you provide for my strength and comfort, and help me to learn how to let go of shame. Amen.

Hebrews 13:8-16 ERV

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
Don’t let all kinds of strange teachings lead you into the wrong way. Depend only on God’s grace for spiritual strength, not on rules about foods. Obeying those rules doesn’t help anyone.
We have a sacrifice. And those priests who serve in the Holy Tent cannot eat from the sacrifice we have.
The high priest carries the blood of animals into the Most Holy Place and offers that blood for sins. But the bodies of those animals are burned outside the camp.
So Jesus also suffered outside the city. He died to make his people holy with his own blood. So we should go to Jesus outside the camp and accept the same shame that he had.
Here on earth we don’t have a city that lasts forever. But we are waiting for the city that we will have in the future.
So through Jesus we should never stop offering our sacrifice to God. That sacrifice is our praise, coming from lips that speak his name.
And don’t forget to do good and to share what you have with others, because sacrifices like these are very pleasing to God.

Lord, I understand so very little of life. I am so grateful that you are my faithful Shepherd, leading me gently forward with your kind and nurturing Voice. Thank you for your patience with such an imperfect servant as myself, and thank you for your mercy and grace that makes me survive each day. Please give my husband peace and protect him from the enemy’s attacks. Help him to keep looking to you for his strength, and please guide us forward in unity upon the path you have chosen for us. Let us both be found faithful to the end. Amen.